It's not literally written in a contract. However, when we have confidentiality at work, it also extends to our spouses.
But what about family businesses where family members work closely together?
If the wife is on the board of directors and the husband is the HR manager, situations may arise that they both want to discuss at home.
But it doesn't always work.
If Bjarne down in the warehouse has been fired due to alcohol abuse, the HR manager can't go home and tell his wife, even though she also works for the company.
And if the board is confidentially talking about changing the company's strategy, it's not something the board member should tell the HR manager, regardless of how the changes might affect him.
Confidentiality protects the company, partners and employees, and the need for it is not diminished because family members share a house, a car and vinyl records.
However, we should talk openly about confidentiality itself.
This gives us the opportunity to explain to our loved ones that there is a legitimate reason to 'leave them out' when we utter the words "I can't talk about that".
